The second annual SAVE Award, a contest in which federal employees propose ideas about how to save taxpayers’ money, will accept submissions through July 22. According to the Washington Post, the winner will earn a meeting with President Obama, and his or her proposal will be included in the FY2012 budget proposal.

According to the Post:

Last year’s winning idea came from Nancy Fichtner, a Department of Veterans Affairs employee from Colorado who suggested that VA medical centers should permit patients to take home extra bandages and medication when they are discharged. The change in policy is expected to save the Department of Veterans Affairs at least $14.5 million by 2014, the OMB said. Other finalists included a U.S. Forest Service worker who suggested that national forests should deposit checks at local banks instead of mailing them to a central processing facility, a Housing and Urban Development employee who wanted housing agencies to consolidate inspections, and a Social Security Administration worker who suggested people should be able to schedule appointments with the agency online. Agencies included those ideas in fiscal 2011 budget proposals.

This has the flavor of a great idea. Besides, as my mother always says, “better half a piece of gum than no piece of gum,” so I am not going to spend a long time pointing out that $14.5 million over four years is a very small amount of money for the federal government. But think about how many federal jobs were created — 416,000 — since the passage of the stimulus bill. At wages and benefits averaging $79,000 per year, these employees cost over $33 billion annually.